Monday, 23 December 2013

THE EVIL TREE

L'Albero
del Veleno began life in Florence in 2010 on the initiative of
keyboardist and composer Nadin Petricelli and drummer Claudio Miniati
with the aim to recreate the musical atmosphere of Italian horror and
thriller soundtracks from the seventies. The name of the band means
“The Poison Tree” and was inspired by an ancient Eastern myth, a
kind of metaphor describing a beautiful entity hiding an evil nature.
It tells about a tree which attracts people thanks to its fruits and
to the peaceful shade of its branches but beware! The people who stop
under the tree to take a rest will never wake up on account of the
deathly power of its poison.

After
some line up changes and a hard work, in 2013 the band released a
début album, “Le radici del male” (The roots of evil), on the
independent label Lizard Records. The renewed line up features Nadin
Petricelli (keyboards, synth), Claudio Miniati (drums), Lorenzo
Picchi (guitars), Michele Andreuccetti (bass), Francesco Catoni
(viola) and Marco Brenzini (flute) and the result of their efforts is
a surprisingly fresh blending of vintage sounds and new ideas. Of
course, they could recall Goblin or the Swedish band Anima Morte but
the band showcase a great musicianship and a touch of sparkling
vitality.

L'Albero del Veleno 2013

The
opener “Dove danzano le streghe” (Where the witches dance) begins
softly, then the rhythm rises and the dance begins. The atmosphere is
haunting and you can really breath tension and a strange kind of
excitement where joy and fury are at war. The following “... e
resta il respiro” (… and breathing remains) begins with an old,
dark waltz coming from times out of mind, then the music lights like
a fire casting uneasy, flickering shadows all around.

“Presenze
dal passato” (Appearances from the past) has a strong classical
flavour and features delicate piano patterns and melancholic violin
lines. It leads to the more aggressive “Un altro giorno di terrore”
(Another day of terror) where feelings like fear and pain are painted
with strong musical colours. For this tack the band shot a video that
is included as a bonus on the CD.

“Due
anime nella notte” (Two souls in the night) is another dark,
haunting piece where you can imagine two lost souls in the night
dancing like moths around a fire, mesmerized. The last track, “Al
di là del sogno... l'incubo riaffiora” (Beyond the dream...
Nightmare comes back), is a tribute the films by director Lucio Fulci and to
the music of Fabio Frizzi and it's a medley taken from four different
scores Sette note in nero (The Psychic), Zombi 2, Paura nella città dei morti viventi (City of the Living Dead) e ... e tu vivrai nel terrore! L'aldilà (The Beyond) The different parts are perfectly matched together
and this long piece sounds like a wonderful suite that begins with
the sound of a carillon and ends with a powerful crescendo. A
delightful gran finale for an excellent work!

Michel
“Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: L'Albero del Veleno now joins the
company of artists like Jacula/Antonius Rex, Devil Doll, Il Segno del
Comando, and of course the mighty Goblin that inhabit the darker
corners of the Italian progressive genre. Short but darkly sweet,
their debut release gets them off to a fine start, and the sheer
talent on display from the band, not only in their playing, but in
the grand arrangements and their ambitions of creating films to
complement and enhance their work suggests a band with many great
ideas, that will see them further mature and develop their sound in
the future. For now, `Le Radici del Male' is a perfect introduction,
and surely just the beginning of a distinctive and promising new
project... (read the complete review HERE)